The first sight

It was all white, and a blinding light,
And a faint darkness that I could sense,
Faint sounds sometimes reverberating through me
And a divine warmth which I could not see.

I still couldn't open my eyes but I
Wobbled and moved and turned
Only to find that my world was small:
Every time I reached out, I thumped against a wall.

Then one day I found the world had gone smaller !
Or maybe I had grown by that time,
My neck was craned and I had to relieve the pain:
I stroke with my beak in disdain.

And as if someone was listening for me
I heard two crashes beside my head
With a little hope and more of fear:
The wall was breaking, I thought I could hear !

A moment later, a sharp pain seared
Across my head, down to my limbs
As my chest rose and filled to the end
Ah! It was my first breath, my friend !

And I don't know how it happened
I opened what I felt were my eyes
And the streak of light hurt but I continued to stare
I saw two expectant eyes: my mother was there !

And it was so much a joy: I never felt again;
The egg broke away as I strove to be free:
There was so much in this world for me to see
There was so much in this world for me to see

A story.

A long time, a long time back
Before everyone was so true,
Before people could do anything
For ones they didn't even know.

Before the sky seemed endless pleasure
Before the clouds smiled, it seemed
Before the sun beamed rays of hope
Before the ocean dreamed:

A lost traveller, unaware he was lost
Believed the world was small
Thought he knew his destiny
Believed he knew it all.

But soon, a new book he opened
Couldn't believe he was wrong
Had never thought of something so good,
Had never heard so beautiful a song.

And he fell in love with the new world
More than a smile every step that lay
He knew he was a foreigner here
Thought he would change and wanted to stay.

So, he 'told' that he wanted to stay forever
And spend his days sharing what he had seen
Happened what he feared to percieve
His new world asked him to leave.

He may have foreseen this, but was surprised
Why couldn't he make the world realise?
That his love was more than anything he had seen
He wanted to stay, that's all he could mean !

But the world did not accept him,
Said its rules, he did not follow
That he didn't belong to this place
But any 'other' world would be glad to see his face!

The world explained that he could live
But it will never be his home
That he could live in this world for a while
But never make it his own.

He had resolved he'd never go back
All through his life, he would live here
He couldn't go back, he couldn't walk on
Too determined not to let out a tear.

But out of the blue sky, a little bird flew
Atop his shoulder, by his side
Fluttered its wings that could heal
And told him what he could never feel.

It spoke of love that could never end
It talked of people he could never offend
Told him about the better of things
Explained some lost meanings

Asked him how long he took
to express His longing to stay
If he took so long, how could the world
Accept him in a single day ?

And after all, the world needed time
To realize something that was new
The little bird whispered in his ear
"Not everyone's lucky as you".

The traveller took the bird in his hand
In its eyes was a longing he couldn't understand
But it didn't matter, because early or late,
Just like the little bird, he too would wait.

Wind.

Far away, it has touched the hills,
Played with clouds, pushed them away,
Straining the trees, bending them over,
Inviting them to dance, and sway.

A bird once forced to its little down the nest,
Till it would fly, she wouldn't come to rest,
Down went the little baby, its heart thumping hard,
In despair it was trying its best.

A little flutter, but the ground still came near,
A mount of will, that too so new,
And soon the wind saw this and smiled,
Took it in its arms, and the baby flew ! ....

(still a draft)

A glimpse of Nature

written on 24/Dec/07

Up he climbs the chair, up the window
Stained glass just shimmers in brightness,
Except a soft, cold breeze caressing his eyelids,
'From the window left ajar.

He wants to reach out, open the window
But is unsure how to begin
The streak of dazzling daylight,
And the calm air it's bringing in.

Far away, a bird returns to its nest,
Feeding its little, it cries out of joy !
This cry reaches him, and with a smile,
Throws open the window, this little boy.

His eyes widen, lips part
As the morning sun fills his face;
The warmth on his face, cools his heart,
As everything seems to hide in a misty haze !

He sees far away, a mount :
Draped in a purple cloud,
And a hill of pine, unusually white,
A mountain falcon, crying out loud.

He reaches his palms, out through the bars,
Far as he can, untill
An unsure, white snowflake comes to land
Atop his skinny hand.

A moment or two, the flake is gone
While two more have landed beside his finger
But the sunlight, dancing in the clouds
Melts them, doesn't let them linger !

Now, a distant wind takes over
And his eyelids come to quiver,
When suddenly, his mother pulls him back :
"Don't open windows, I told you dear !"